Petroleum Refinery Engineering Questions

• Applications of petroleum coke: In downstream industries, the primary use of petroleum coke is in the:
• Petroleum fuels and test methods: pick the single correct statement from the following about octane, smoke point, kerosene evaluation, and aviation fuel properties.
• In catalytic alkylation (e.g., isobutane with C3–C4 olefins), how does increasing the iso-butane-to-olefin (I/O) ratio affect product properties and yields?
• In the Udex (glycol) extraction process for removing light aromatics from cracked naphtha, which solvent formulation is used as the selective extractant?
• Relative cracking rates: in catalytic cracking versus thermal cracking, olefins are observed to crack how many times faster under catalytic conditions?
• Classification check: crude petroleum oil is best described as which type of fuel based on origin and usage?
• Refinery process fundamentals: which of the following listed processes consumes (uses) hydrogen as a reactant under normal operation?
• Viscosity index (VI) reasoning: pick the single wrong statement from the following about multigrade oils and base stock types.
• Crude oils produced by Indian oil fields are predominantly of which general type based on hydrocarbon family dominance?
• Among the listed refinery products, which one typically has the maximum °API gravity (i.e., is the lightest)?
• Natural gas composition check: identify the main constituent (principal component) of typical natural gas supplied by pipelines and fields.
• In petroleum refining practice, sulphuric acid treatment (acid treating) of petroleum products is used to remove reactive impurities and improve stability. Identify which kinds of contaminant materials are predominantly removed by such acid treatment from refined streams (e.g., cracked naphtha, kerosene), considering gum-forming species, color-forming precursors, and asphaltic bodies.
• At the same temperature, compare the viscosities of common refinery products and pick the one with the highest viscosity among naphtha, fuel oil, light diesel oil (LDO), and petrol (gasoline).
• Petroleum exploration relies on surface clues and subsurface geoscience. Identify the most comprehensive detection approach for petroleum deposits, considering natural oil seepage observations, geophysical measurements (density, elasticity, magnetic and electrical properties), and knowledge of the age and nature of subsurface rocks.
• In liquid fuels for spark-ignition engines, the “performance number” (an extension beyond the octane number scale) is primarily related to which property: wax content, spontaneous ignition temperature, knocking tendency, or sulphur content?
• Historical generalization in petroleum geology: older crude petroleum is often described as lighter and “better.” Based on this generalization, indicate which outcomes are expected for older crude—greater share of distillates and reduced tar formation—choosing the most inclusive option.
• For a good burning kerosene that meets clean-combustion expectations, the smoke point measured in a standard lamp typically lies around which range (in mm): 0–5, 20–25, 60–75, or 100–120?
• Hydrocarbon family identification: among the following, identify the naphthene (saturated cycloparaffin) that represents a cycloalkane rather than an olefin, diene, or acetylene.
• Heteroatom classification in petroleum: Quinoline is a polycyclic heteroaromatic compound. Identify which heteroatom class it belongs to among sulphur-, nitrogen-, or oxygen-containing species.
• “Solvent naphtha” used in paints and perfumery is produced by splitting virgin naphtha into narrow boiling-range cuts. Identify the refinery operation primarily used to make such solvent-grade streams from virgin naphtha.